Remarks by the President at the Bush-Cheney 2004 Reception
Sheraton New York Hotel
New York, New York

6:28 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. It's nice to be back in
this great city of New York City. Thank you for your warm
hospitality. (Applause.) I'm going to come back. (Laughter and
applause.) And I look forward to have the Republican Convention right
here in the great city of New York. (Applause.)

Thank you all so very much for your help in the campaign. You're
laying the foundation for what will be a national victory come November
of 2004. (Applause.) I'm getting loosened up. (Laughter.) I'm
getting ready. (Laughter.) But I'm going to need your help. I'm
going to need your help not only to lay the foundation at the
grassroots, but I need your help to pass our message, our inclusive,
positive, hopeful message for all American citizens.

I say, I'm ready -- the political season will come in its own
time. There will be plenty of time for politics. Right now I'm
focused on the people's business in Washington, D.C. We have a lot on
the agenda and we will continue to work hard to earn the confidence of
our fellow citizens by keeping this nation secure, keeping this nation
strong, keeping this nation prosperous, and keeping this nation free.
(Applause.)

My only regret tonight is that First Lady Laura Bush didn't come.
I know, you drew the -- you drew the short straw. (Laughter.) I'm
proud of her. I love her. She is a fabulous First Lady for America.
(Applause.)

I want to thank Governor George Pataki for not only being a friend,
but being a great governor for the state of New York. (Applause.) I
appreciate so very much that my Secretary of Commerce, Don Evans, is
with us tonight. I appreciate him coming. (Applause.)

I had a chance to visit with the Mayor. I want to thank Michael
Bloomberg for the job he's doing on behalf of the citizens of this
great city. And I want to thank him for his friendship, as well. He
probably said he's going out to throw a first pitch out at the minor
league park. I know something about throwing out pitches.
(Laughter.) And I would suggest he goes with a fast ball, not his
slider. (Laughter.)

I want to thank Congressman Vito Fossello for coming, as well.
He's part of that New York delegation that's making a difference.
(Applause.) I want to thank people from the statehouse who are here,
the Lieutenant Governor, Mary Donahue, is with us today. Mary, thank
you for coming. Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and Assembly Minority
Leader Charlie Nesbitt are with us, as well. Thank you for coming.
(Applause.) I'm proud that my friend Mayor Jim Garner, from Hempstead,
New York, who is the new president of the U.S. Conference on Mayors is
with us. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. (Applause.)

I want to thank my friend Rudy Guiliani for being the co-chairman
of this -- (applause.) Rudy and I and his new bride traveled from the
helicopter pad together, and it's clear, like me, he married above
himself. (Laughter and applause.)

It's good to see former Senator Alphonse D'Amato here. Thank you
for coming, Alphonse. (Applause.) I appreciate Mr. Chairman, Sandy
Treadwell, for being here. Sandy, thank you for your leadership and
your help. (Applause.) And the chairman of the New York Conservative
Party, Mike Long, is with us, as well. Mike, thanks for coming.
(Applause.) Most importantly, thank you all for being here. It means
a lot. I really appreciate your help and your support. (Applause.)

In the last two-and-a-half years, our nation has acted decisively
to confront great challenges. I came to the office of the Presidency
to solve problems, not to pass them on to future presidents and future
generations. (Applause.) I came to seize opportunities instead of
letting them slip away, and we are meeting the tests of our time.
(Applause.)

Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is
what they got. (Applause.) We have captured or killed many key
leaders of al Qaeda, and the rest of them know we're hot on their
trail. (Applause.) In Afghanistan and Iraq, we gave ultimatums to
terror regimes. Those regimes chose defiance and those regimes are no
more. (Applause.)

Fifty million people in those two countries once lived under
tyranny, and now they live in freedom. (Applause.) Two-and-a-half
years ago, our military was not receiving the resources it needed and
morale was beginning to suffer. We increased the defense budget to
prepare for threats of a new era. And, today, no one in the world can
question the skill and the strength and the spirit of the United States
military. (Applause.)

Two-and-a-half years ago we inherited an economy in recession, then
the attacks on our country, and scandals in corporate America and the
war affected our people's confidence. But we acted. We passed tough
new laws to hold corporate criminals to account. (Applause.)

And to get our economy going again, we have twice led the Congress
to pass historic tax relief for the American people. (Applause.) Here
is what we believe and here is what we know: when Americans have more
take-home pay to spend, to save or to invest, the whole economy grows,
so people can find work. We understand whose money we spend in
Washington, D.C. It is not the government's money; it is the people's
money. (Applause.)

We're returning more money to the people who are raising their
families. We're reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to
encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to
expand and hire new people. With all these actions we are laying the
foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs across America, so
every single person in this country has a chance to realize the
American Dream. (Applause.)

Two-and-a-half years ago there was a lot of talk about education
reform -- but there wasn't much action. So I called for, and the
Congress passed, the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid,
bipartisan majority we delivered the most dramatic education reforms in
a generation. We're bringing high standards and strong accountability
measures to every public school in America.

We believe every child can learn the basics of reading and math.
And we believe that every school in America must teach those basics.
(Applause.) We are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations.
T(Applause.) The days of excuse-making are over, and now we expect
results in every classroom in America so that not one single child is
left behind. (Applause.)

We reorganized the government and created a Department of Homeland
Security to safeguard the borders and ports and to protect the American
people. We passed trade promotion authority to open new markets for
America's farmers and ranchers and manufacturers. We passed a budget
agreement that is helping to maintain spending discipline in
Washington, D.C. On issue after issue, this administration has acted
on principle, has kept its word, and has made progress on behalf of the
American people. (Applause.)

The United States Congress has shared in these great achievements.
And I do want to thank the members of the Congress who have worked hard
on behalf of the people. We'll continue to work together, work
together to change the tone in Washington, D.C. by focusing on
results. That's been the nature of the folks that I've asked to serve
the United States of America. I've assembled a fantastic Cabinet and
an administration. People who understand their job is to represent all
of America. There has been no greater Vice President for the United
States of America than Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Mother might have a
second opinion. (Laughter.)

In two-and-a-half years, we have come far, but our work is only
beginning. We have great goals worthy of this great nation. First,
America is committed to expanding the realm of freedom and peace.
(Applause.) And, secondly, in our own country, we must work for a
society of prosperity and compassion so that every citizen has a chance
to work, and succeed, and realize the great promise of America.

It is clear that the future of peace and freedom depend on the
actions of America. This nation is freedom's home, and freedom's
defender. We welcome this charge of history, and we are keeping it.
Our war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and
neither are we. This country will not rest, we will not tire, and we
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.
(Applause.)

Yet, our national interests involves more than eliminating
aggressive threats to our safety. Our greatest security comes from the
advance of human liberty, because free nations do not support terror.
Free nations do not attack their neighbors. And free nations do not
threaten the world with weapons of mass terror. (Applause.)

Americans believe that freedom is the deepest need and hope of
every human heart. And we believe that freedom is the right of every
person and the future of every nation. (Applause.)

America also understand that unprecedented influence brings
tremendous responsibilities. When we have -- we have duties in this
world. And when we see disease and starvation and hopelessness and
poverty, we will not turn away. On the continent of Africa, America is
now committed to bringing the healing power of medicine to millions of
men and women and children now suffering from AIDS. (Applause.) This
great land is leading the world in the important work of human rescue.

We face challenges at home, and our actions prove that we're equal
to those challenges. I will continue to work hard on our economy until
everybody who wants to work and can't find a job today can find work.
(Applause.)

We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
strengthening and modernizing Medicare so they have more choices and
better access to prescription drugs. (Applause.) The time has arrived
for Congress to pass Medicare reform. (Applause.) And that reform
must give seniors good options that meet their needs. Members of
Congress and their staffs get a choice of health plans. Seniors ought
to have the same kind of choices, including the choice to keep their
Medicare coverage the way it is. If choice is good enough for members
of the United States Congress, it is good enough for the seniors of
America. (Applause.)

And for the sake of our health care system, we need to stop the
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. (Applause.)
People who have been harmed by a bad doctor deserve their day in
court. Yet, the system should not reward lawyers who are simply
fishing for rich settlements. (Applause.) Because frivolous lawsuits
drive up the cost of health care, at the federal level, liability
reform is a national issue that requires a national solution. Our
fellow citizens must understand that no one has ever been healed by a
frivolous lawsuit. We need medical liability reform today.
(Applause.)

I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial
system runs well. And I have met that duty. I have nominated superb
men and women for the federal courts, people who will interpret the
law, not legislate from the bench. Some members of the Senate --
(applause) -- some members of the Senate are trying to keep my nominees
off the bench by blocking up-or-down votes. Every judicial nominee
deserves a fair hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. It
is time for some members of the Senate to stop playing politics with
American justice. (Applause.)

The United States Congress needs to pass a comprehensive energy
plan. Our nation must promote energy efficiency and conservation and
develop cleaner technologies. But for the sake of our national
security, we must produce more energy at home. (Applause.)

Our strong and prosperous nation must also be a compassionate
nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate
conservatism, applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task
of helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of
men and women who want to end their dependence on government and become
independent through hard work. We must build on the success of welfare
reform to bring work and dignity into the lives of more of our fellow
citizens. Congress should complete the Citizens Service Act so more
Americans can serve their communities and their country.

And both Houses should finally reach agreement on a faith-based
initiative to support the armies of compassion that are mentoring
children, caring for the homeless and offering hope to the addicted.
(Applause.) A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all,
including the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This
administration will constantly strive to produce an ownership society
in America. We want more people to own their own homes. We want more
people to own and control their retirement accounts. We want more
small business owners in America. And we want people to own and manage
their own health care plan. (Applause.)

We understand that when somebody owns something, he or she has a
vital stake -- a vital stake -- in the future of this country.
(Applause.) In a compassionate society, people respect one another and
take responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the
culture of America from one that said, if it feels good, do it, and if
you've got a problem, blame somebody else; to a culture in which each
of us understands that we are responsible for the decisions we make in
life.

If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you are
responsible for the well-being of your child. (Applause.) If you're
concerned about the quality of education in your community, you are
responsible for doing something about it. (Applause.) If you are a
CEO in America, you have a responsibility to tell the truth to your
shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) And in a responsibility
society, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we
would like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.)

We can see the culture of service and responsibility growing around
us here in America. I started the USA Freedom Corps to encourage
Americans to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need. And
the response has been strong. Our faith-based charities all across the
country are strong and vibrant, and bringing hope and healing to our
fellow citizens. Policemen and firemen and people who wear our
nation's uniform, are reminding us what it means to sacrifice for
something greater than yourself. (Applause.) Once again the children
of America believe in heroes, because they see them every day.
(Applause.)

In these challenging times the world has seen the resolve and the
courage of America. And I have been privileged to see the compassion
and the character of the American people. All the tests of the last
two-and-a-half years have come to the right nation. We're a strong
country, and we use our strength to defend the peace. We're an
optimistic country, confident in ourselves and in ideals bigger than
ourselves.

Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by spreading freedom. At
home, we seek to lift up lives by spreading opportunity to every corner
of our country. This is the work that history has set before us. We
welcome it. And we know for our country and for our cause, better days
lie ahead.

Thank you for coming. May God bless you. And may God bless
America. (Applause.)